Glove compartment for an automobile

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a glove compartment, in particular for a motor vehicle. It is constituted by:  
     a main body ( 2 ), defining the global volume of the glove compartment  1 );  
     modulatable arrangement means ( 3 ), which are removable, enabling the inner space ( 4 ) of said main body ( 1 ) to be adapted as required;  
     frontal opening means in two parts ( 5  and  6 ) of the front face of said body ( 1 ), giving access to the inner space ( 4 ) according to the arrangement chosen and its contents ( 7 ).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a glove compartment, in particular for a motor vehicle, designed to receive, for example, various objects, such as road maps, books, pocket lamps, mobile telephones, boxes of medicaments, glasses, etc.

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art

[0004] The contents of this type of glove compartment depends, in fact, on each individual person, and on his or her personality and lifestyle. Such glove compartments, as they are presently known, cannot be adapted to each type of person or, more precisely, to the way this person uses his or her vehicle.

[0005] For instance, the glove compartment of a family vehicle will be used in a different way from that of a company car or the vehicle of a sales representative, or again, that of a vehicle intended basically for leisure activities.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The invention relates to a glove compartment that can be adapted according to the use to which the vehicle is put, the internal space of which is capable of being arranged and the opening of which can be adapted to this space, as well as its environment.

[0007] For this purpose, the invention provides a glove compartment, in particular for a motor vehicle, characterised in that it has:

[0008] a main body, defining the global volume of the glove compartment;

[0009] means of modulatable arrangement, which are removable, enabling the internal space of said main body to be adapted as required.

[0010] means of frontal opening in two parts of the front face of said body, giving access to the internal space according to the chosen arrangement and its contents.

[0011] The present invention also relates to the characteristics that will emerge in the course of the description that follows, and which are to be considered in isolation or in all their possible technical combinations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] This description, which is given by way of a non-limitative example, will permit a better understanding of the way in which invention can be implemented, with reference to the annexed drawings, in which:

[0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a glove compartment, according to the invention, ii closed, semi-open, and fully open positions successively.

[0014]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an glove compartment according to FIG. 1, front which the closing means have been removed, to permit a better understanding of the modulatable arrangement means, three possibilities being illustrated.

[0015]FIG. 3 is a detail view, in cross-section, of said arrangement means.

[0016]FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 represent, respectively, in transverse cross-section, a glove compartment according to FIGS. 1 to 3, in closed, semi-open and fully open positions.

[0017]FIG. 7 schematically represents three possibilities of arrangement and use of a glove compartment according to the invention.

[0018]FIG. 8 schematically represents the glove compartment of the invention a, Cording to the three possibilities of opening.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The glove compartment 1, generally designated in the figures, includes:

[0020] a main body 2, defining the global volume of glove compartment 1;

[0021] modulatable arrangement means 3, which are removable, enabling the internal space 4 of said main body 1 to be adapted as required,

[0022] frontal opening means, in two parts, 5 and 6, of the front face of said body 1, giving access to internal space 4 according to the arrangement chosen and its contents 7 a, 7 b., 7 c, 7 d, 7 e. 7 f, 7 g, 7 h, etc.

[0023] According to the present exemplary embodiment, modulatable arrangement means 3 are constituted by a removable shelf or panel.

[0024] This panel constitutes a support plane and co-operates with two lateral walk, 8 and 9, of main body 1, to be positioned as required in the glove compartment.

[0025] Panel 3 is, in fact, capable of defining, as shown in FIG. 1, a double compartment, one being an upper compartment 10, and the other a lower compartment 11, when it is disposed substantially horizontally in space 4.

[0026] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, it is also capable of defining a bin 12, when it is disposed substantially vertically in the front lower portion of space 4.

[0027] Finally, said panel 3 is also capable of defining a single volume 13, in particular freely accessible, over the entire frontal height of space 4, when it is retracted into an inner portion of main body 1, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7.

[0028] According to the present exemplary embodiment, panel 3 is positioned in space 4 via a set of grooves 14 and 16, provided in the area of lateral walls 8, 9 of the main body, and, in particular, produced symmetrically In pairs on either side of said lateral walls 8 and 9.

[0029] Grooves 14,. 15 thus co-operate with the ends of removable panel 3 to provide the different arrangement variants.

[0030] For example, in the case of one of the pairs of grooves, 14, these are provided horizontally, whereas, in that of the other pair of grooves, 15, these are provided substantially vertically, in fact slightly inclined, according to the present example, to allow for the shape of the front lower portion of main body 1.

[0031] The dimensions of said grooves 14 and 15 correspond to those of the respective ends of panel 3.

[0032] According to one exemplary embodiment, shown in FIG. 3, panel 3 is constituted by a flexible structure. It is formed in particular of rigid, elongate members 15, 16, particularly in the form of rods, bars, strips or the like, interconnected by over-moulding a flexible material 17, forming between said members a hinge or similar means, so as to impart to said panel 3 characteristics of flexibility enabling it to change over from one position to another, according to predetermined radii of curvature, as shown in FIG. 2, with all this taking place noiselessly.

[0033] As to the opening means of the front face of main body 1, these are constituted by two doors, 5 and 6, one of which, 5, is hinged on an upper wall 18 of said body 1 to give access to an upper area 10 of space 4.

[0034] The other door, 6, is, for its part, hinged on a lower wall 19 of said body 1 to give access to a lower area, 11, of space 4.

[0035] Free ends Sa and 6 a of the two doors 5 and 6 are located on the same plane P, in particular a horizontal one, to ensure closure of space 4.

[0036] This is what particularly differentiates the type of opening according to the invention from the known conventional opening systems, while, at the same time, ensuring that the glove compartment does not open in the event of an airbag device being triggered.

[0037] According to another characteristic of the invention, upper door 5 and lower door 6 are held in closed or open position by a system of leaf springs (not shown), positioned on their respective axes of rotation.

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, doors 5 and 6 are interconnected when closed by their free end edges 6 a and 6 a. One of the free end edges 5 a, 6 a, here edge 6 a, is housed beneath shoulders 20 and 21 of lateral sides 8 and 9 of body 1, lying back inwards of the free end edge, here 6 a, of upper door 6, which overlies it to retain it in closed position. Such an arrangement can be reversed.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 1, a first opening A of the lower door is obtained in a first stage X by raising upper door 5. The latter is able to release lower door 6, which can then tip, being pulled down by its own weight, creating a second opening in a second stage, B, until it encounters a point of friction. The lower door can then be opened completely in a third stage, C, by acting directly on the door and by forcing past said point of friction. Full opening is then obtained.

[0040] The raising of upper door 5, which causes lower door 6 to tip into said first open position, is obtained via a gripping area 23, constituted, here, substantially by the overlap between upper door 5 and lower door 6.

[0041] Such a system makes it possible to dispense with the conventional opening sub-assembly consisting of a handle, a transfer means and a pulling means, and to ensure that the glove compartment does not open in the event of the airbag module being triggered.

[0042] Furthermore, the aforementioned overlap of upper door 5 and lower door 6 gives a styling line concealing areas of play and profiles.

[0043] According to the invention, it is possible, in fact, to obtain a glove compartment offering, as illustrated in FIG. 5, full access to compartment 10 when the panel is in horizontal position, and so-called “letterbox” type access when lower door 6 is not fully open.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 6, the full opening of said lower door 6 not only gives full access to upper compartment 10 when the panel is horizontal, but also full access to lower compartment 11.

[0045] Furthermore, the glove compartment according to the invention can include means for fixing it to the body of the dashboard so as io enable it to be put into place and removed quickly in relation to said body. It will thus be easy to change models. 

I claim:
 1. Glove compartment, in particular for a motor vehicle, characterised in that it has a main body (2), defining the global volume of the glove compartment (1); means of modulatable arrangement (3), which are removable, enabling the internal space (4) of said main body (1) to be adopted as required. means of frontal opening in two parts (5 and 6) of the front face of said body (1), giving access to the internal space (4 according to the chosen arrangement and its contents (7).
 2. Glove compartment according to claim 1, in which the modulatable arrangement means (3) are constituted by a removable panel, constituting a support plane co-operating with two lateral walls (8 et 9) of the main body (1) to define: a double compartment, one being an upper one (10) and the other being a lower one (11), when it is disposed substantially horizontally in the space (4); a bin (12), when it is disposed substantially vertically in the lower front portion of the space (4); a single volume (13) over the entire frontal height of the space (4) when it is retracted into an inner portion of the main body (11).
 3. Glove compartment according to claim 2, in which the panel (3) is positioned in the space (4) via a set of grooves (14 and 15), provided in the area of the lateral walls (8) and (9) of the main body (1), in different directions, said grooves (14 and 15) co-operating with the respective ends of the panel (3).
 4. Glove compartment according to claim 2, in which said panel (3) is constituted by a flexible structure.
 5. Glove compartment according to claim 4, in which said flexible structure is formed by elongate rigid members (16) interconnected by an over-moulding of a flexible material (17), so as to impart to said panel characteristics of flexibility enabling it to change over from one position to another, according to predetermined radii of curvature.
 6. Glove compartment according to claim 1, in which the opening means of the front face of the main body (1) are constituted by two doors (b and 6), one of which (5), hinged on an upper wall (18) of said body (1), gives access to an upper area (10) of the space (4), and the other of which (6), hinged on a lower wall (19) of said body (1), gives access to a lower area (11) of the space (4), the free ends (5 a and 6 a) of the two doors (6 and 6) being located in the same horizontal plane P to ensure closure of the space (4).
 7. Glove compartment according to claim 6, in which the upper (6) and lower (6) doors are held in closed position or in open position by a system of leaf springs, positioned on their axes of rotation.
 8. Glove compartment according to claim 6 or 7, in which the doors (5 and 6) are interconnected when closed by their free end edges (5 a, 6 a), one (6 a) of the free end edges (5 a, 6 a) being housed under shoulders (20 and 21) of the lateral sides (8 and 9) of the body (1), and lying back rearwards of the other free end edge (5 a), which overlies it to retain it in closed position.
 9. Glove compartment according to claim 8, in which a first opening of the lower door is obtained in a first stage (A), by the raising of the upper door (5), suitable for releasing the lower door (6), which tips, being pulled down by its own weight, creating a second opening in a second stage (B), until it encounters a point of friction, beyond which full opening of said lower door is obtained in a third stage (C) by acting directly on the door and by forcing past said point of friction.
 10. Glove compartment according to claim 9, in which the raising of the upper door (5), causing the lower door (6) to tip into said first open position, is effected via a gripping area (23), substantially constituted by the overlap between the upper door (5) and the lower door (6). 